


We're No Masterpiece

by bambi1994



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-11
Updated: 2014-08-19
Packaged: 2018-02-08 09:14:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1935258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bambi1994/pseuds/bambi1994
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU: It’s no secret that Calder Gold hasn’t been able to connect with his son, Baelfire, lately. The whole town can tell the two haven’t been on the friendliest of terms either. Calder decides to take a last chance at saving their relationship by making an appointment with a counselor in order to save their faltering father-son bond.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Potential

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys, I’m back again and with an actual chaptered fic, woo! I’ve been wanting to do a chaptered fic for the longest time now, even though I’m working on like five different chaptered fics right now lol, but I finally got one that I feel inspired to work on and post! Most of the inspiration of this fic came from caskett-case on tumblr through a post she had written tags on that made me want to write a fic about them. The whole fic takes place in an AU, and things have been changed around as I see fit for this fic. Also, it’s very obvious that I have my own headcanon of Gold’s first name being Calder lol Thank you once again to Megan, Morgan, and Vanessa who have looked over this whole thing for me. I seriously love you guys so much ;3; I should probably also start mentioning that I don’t own Once Upon A Time because if I did, I would be super rich and rolling in money.

“Perfect.” A satisfied smiled spread across Calder’s face while he stared at his latest completed project.  He ran his slim fingers over the refurbished wooden chest. The piece before him had been giving him trouble for the past week, the latches that kept the chest shut being the trickiest to finish, but it was finally perfect. The pawn shop owner took a step back, mindful of his bad knee, to fully admire his project.

Calder had always found relaxation in his refurbishings, especially as of late. In his earlier years of owning the pawn shop Calder hardly spent any time on refurbish projects, telling himself he'd get around to them eventually. Though as time passed, what with his failed marriage and Baelfire entering his teen years, Calder found more time to work on refurbishing antiques for the shop.

Lately he found himself stealing away to work on more and more projects, turning out five difficult projects alone within one month, as Baelfire delved deeper into the dreaded teen years. As his boy grew older, Calder found it harder to connect with Baelfire. His son was always replying with short answers and getting into trouble with somebody. It was enough to give Calder an aneurysm with the amount of trouble his son got into at home.

There was no real answer Calder could pinpoint as being the root cause of Baelfire's attitude change, he had never been a difficult child until as of late, but he knew whom he wanted to blame. Killian 'Hook' (as Baelfire referred to him) Jones. The moment Calder had met him, he could sense he was trouble, but he didn't voice his thoughts because he assumed it would only pull Baelfire further away.

A sudden ringing pierced through the silence, pulling Calder out of his thoughts. He looked around in a daze, eyes bouncing around the room to find where the sound was coming from, before his eyes were focused on the shop's phone. Sighing heavily, Calder hobbled over to table with the phone on it, bypassing the newly refurbished chest, and picked up the receiver.

“Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop.”

“Hi, is Mr. Gold in?”

“You’re talking to him dearie. May I ask who's calling?"

“Oh, uhm, Mary Margaret Blanchard, Baelfire's homeroom teacher. Ms. Mills wanted me to call you in for a conference this afternoon at three.”

“And why exactly would I need to do that?”

"Well, Baelfire's been caught up in a little bit of trouble again."

"Again?" This was news to Calder, never hearing of any indication for Baelfire. He knew for a fact Baelfire was becoming a handful at home, he could easily vouch for the multiple screaming matches the two stirred up in their house, but at school now too? The pawn shop owner was beginning to think he didn't know his son like he thought he did.

"Uh yes Mr. Gold. Baelfire was in the boy's restroom today during class, spray painting the stalls with graffiti."

"Has this happened before?" Calder was hoping this was a first time thing for Baelfire, but he knew in his gut that the reply he'd get was the answer he wasn't hoping for.

"No Mr. Gold, it's not. This is just the first time we've had to call his parents."

"Parent." he corrected, his voice hardening as more information came forth.

"Erm, anyways, he's been warned multiple times about cutting classes in the past, and today another staff member found him and another student acting out."

Calder's blood grew chill and then quickly began to heat up. "Let me guess, Killian Jones?"

"Yep, that's the one."

"Are his parents getting the same phone call too?"

"Uh yes Mr. Gold, they are, don't worry." the woman stuttered out.

It wasn't Mary Margaret's fault that this was happening, she was just the messenger, but damn it all if Calder wasn't able to take his anger out on someone. His grip tightened on his cane while his rage seethed through him. Baelfire was in huge trouble when he got home tonight, which would end up with the two screaming at each other and Calder breaking something.

"Mr. Gold? You still there?"

Calder hadn't realized that he had spaced out for a moment, quickly calming himself down enough to reply.

"Yes dearie, tell Ms. Mills I'll be there after I close up shop."

"Alright. Thank you Mr. Gold, I'll let her know. Goodbye."

The pawn shop owner was still clutching onto the phone as the line went dead. One day. Just one day without interruptions was all Calder Gold was asking for. This had been the first day in awhile he was able to actually sit down and work on a project, and the moment he had gotten back into his momentum it had been shattered. Baelfire was going to be in big trouble the moment they got home. Calder wasn't sure how he would punish his son, taking away privileges had stopped working a long time ago and he would never dare to think of laying a hand on his son to teach him a lesson, but he had to think of something.

His eyes spotted the clock on the opposite end of the room.

"One forty." He breathed out.

That left him only roughly an hour until he had to leave for the school. Calder took in a deep breath, an attempt to calm his anger, and gently replaced the phone back to its cradle. He clutched tightly onto his cane handle, and moved back to where the finished chest sat. Looking at the completed object calmed the man down a bit. It brought him back down to his bearings enough for him to think clearly. Calder only had to keep his calm for a few hours, it seemed an easy enough of a task with the right implements in place, until he returned home with his son. Until then though, the pawn shop owner decided look over the chest once more for any finer details he had missed with a new vigor.

*******

Within a few moments of looking over the newly refurbished chest, Calder Gold felt himself growing frustrated. The interruption from the previous caller had been on his mind, leaving him little room to focus on finding the final minute details he wanted to look over on the refurbished chest. He eventually gave up with a sigh on figuring out the last necessary details, and to move on to a bigger project that didn’t require as much attention to detail.

That’s how Calder found himself working on a faded tea set that had been sitting in his backroom for the longest time. He had no idea as to how long it had been sitting there, or who had even brought it in, but it had been a project Calder was waiting for the right time to work on. When his eyes first glanced over the set, he hadn’t been quite sure at first. Yet now was as good a time as any other because he desperately wanted to channel his anger into something more productive, as opposed to the usual breakage of items within his vicinity that usually happened when there was no project to work with.

After he brought the delicate tea set from the backroom and up to his workbench Calder felt himself beginning to lose himself within the project. The tea set hadn’t been in too bad of shape, it mostly needed a little love and a good paint touch-up, except for one of the cups. The one cup had a small chip missing from it Calder noted, not really noticing it when the set had found its way here. He carefully picked up the tea cup and examined it over. For some reason, Calder found the chip to be fine the way it was and couldn’t bring himself to try and find a way to fix it. Apart from the touch-ups of paint he could give the cup it was perfect in his eyes.

He set the tea cup back down on the tray with the rest of the set.

 _'Well, I can’t sell it if that cup has that chip. I could put it in the shop, but it doesn’t feel right with that cup missing...’_ Calder ran his finger over the rim of the chipped cup while he thought. He figured he could keep the set for himself to use in the shop until there was a better use for it.

With that final thought, he picked up a matching blue paint to touch up the intricate branch design that was found all over the tea set. Once his paint was out on a plastic pallet, he looked over the set to begin working until it was time for him to leave. Calder’s eyes instantly landed on the chipped cup and picked it up.

“Guess you’re first.” he said, a tiny smile on his lips.

The pawn shop owner dipped his brush into the small mound of paint on his pallet and hovered his brush above the cup.  His paint-loaded brush moved smoothly and steadily over the designs on the cup. As he continued to paint over the small branch design, smiling as the color became more vibrant, he felt himself slipping into the task.

Calder looked up from the tea set he had been working on in a daze. He looked at the clock on the opposite wall that was indicating it was now two forty-five. The pawn shop owner could’ve sworn he had only been working on restoring that cup for a few minutes, ten minutes tops, but the clock told him different. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear the haze from his mind. He recalled having to go in for that meeting with Baelfire’s principal soon.

Sighing, Calder set the cup down with the rest of the set, deciding to come back to it later, and stood up from the workbench. He took his time walking out of his shop, making sure he turned the sign over from open to closed, to his car. Calder wasn’t looking forward to this meeting at all and wanted to avoid the whole ordeal all together. Though the sooner everything was taken care of, the sooner Calder could come back and continue working on that tea set. He walked over to his Cadillac that was parked just outside his shop, deciding a long time ago it was easier to park here than out back for his bad leg, and slipped inside the car.

Calder didn’t think much as he drove over to the school, his own attempt at avoiding the problem until it was right in front of his face, and was there before he realized he was already parking his car. He took a deep breath, collecting his nerves and putting his most menacing face on, before stepping out of his Cadillac. His watch told him it was now two fifty-five when he looked at it, and he reveled in the fact that he would be a few minutes late to the meeting. Any other occasion Calder would’ve showed up promptly ten minutes prior, but when the occasion called for Regina Mills to be present, well Calder couldn’t help but show up a bit late just to ruffle her feathers a tad.

Once he was in the school building, Calder immediately spotted his son sitting outside the school’s main office. He walked as fast as he could, his cane clicking on the tile the whole way, before he was standing in front of his son. He looked down at his son and tried to read his body language. Calder hadn’t remembered his son always slumping in chairs, hands stuffed into his leather jacket (Calder wondered when his son started wearing leather jackets and why he hadn’t even noticed), and his face looking so hardened. Baelfire was still a child and shouldn’t have that kind of an expression, Calder thought.

Baelfire looked up at him, his stare cold. Calder opened his mouth to say something to his son, but was interrupted by the door next to them being flung open.

"Oh thank god you're here Mr. Gold, Regina was about to have my head." the petite woman, Mary Margaret, said.

"I'll be sure to apologize to the queen for my lateness, dearie." Calder replied sarcastically with a flourish of his hands.

The small woman looked like she didn't know what to say in response, so instead she quickly ushered the pair through the door. Calder waited for his son to stand up first before entering, trying to comprehend what his son was thinking. He watched as his son walked through Regina's office door and wordlessly plopped himself down in a chair.

"Don't worry Mr. Gold, they're difficult at this age. Emma's going through the same thing."

Calder looked over at his son's homeroom teacher puzzled by her statement.

"I can assure you Ms. Blanchard, my relationship with my son is far better than it appears to be." he said.

He knew she knew he was lying, but Calder appreciated that she had done the polite thing and nodded towards him instead of calling him out, and led him into the office. After the door was softly shut behind him, Calder moved so he'd be able to sit down in the chair beside his son.

"Nice of you to show up Mr. Gold, I see where your son gets it."

"Oh now, now, dearie. You know we have far more important things to be discussed."

He smirked at the woman across the desk, folding his hands over his cane handle. There was no other thing that could satisfy Calder like undermining Regina Mills.

"Yes, we do." she said while picking up a file. "Baelfire's been having difficulties in school lately."

"I can assure you Ms. Mills, I make sure Bae does his homework every night. His grades are fine."

"That's not what I meant. Your son's been having behavioral issues, Mr. Gold. He's been skipping classes, defacing school property, and has multiple tardies and detentions."

This news took Calder by surprise. Regina had to be looking at some other kid's file, most likely that Killian Jones' file, his son was a good kid. At least, that's what Calder Gold had thought up to this point.

"Bae, you told me you were staying after school to work on school projects and studying."

Baelfire shrugged in response, leaving Calder in a stupor. How could he not have seen the signs sooner, he thought.

"Hmm, it seems your son's had the wool pulled over your eyes this whole time, Mr. Gold. That explains why you didn't know about the warnings we'd given him previously when Ms. Blanchard called you today." she said with a short laugh.

He felt the smirk Regina had on her face branding itself onto his skin. This whole situation was becoming an embarrassment for Calder. Specifically the bit where Regina Mills, of all people, was proving how far his son and him had grown apart.

“Looking as your father seems a tad flustered at the moment, what do you suggest we do Mr. Gold?” she asked, the question directed at his son, her voice becoming icy. She knew she had the upper hand here, and Calder hated it.

“Like I’d know...” the young boy replied coolly.

Calder looked over at his son, his eyebrows furrowing. He couldn’t remember his son ever talking back in this manner, granted it was towards Regina and almost everybody who came into contact with her would do the same, but maybe he hadn’t truly been paying much attention to what was going on with his son. At the thought of not knowing his son at all caused Calder to quickly push the thought away, wanting to avoid thinking about it all together. A feat he was all too familiar with performing.

"That's not the answer I had in mind Mr. Gold." she replied, her eyes narrowing at both of them.

The pawn shop owner bowed his slightly due to the glare he was receiving from Regina. He internally cursed himself for indulging his cowardice, a slight gesture nobody who knew him could truly pick up as such, but he didn't want his son to see him in that state again. The last time it was because his mother had up and left them, leaving Calder in a state of array while he tried to pick himself back up again. The week he was knocked down was the equivalent of hell on Earth for Calder, at least the parts he could remember that he hadn't blocked out. He couldn't pinpoint what exactly had prompted Calder to bring himself back up, but whatever it was it had worked. In that moment of clarity Calder decided that his son would never see him like that again, even if it meant the continuous growing distance between the two.

An uncomfortable silence had taken over the room, Calder feeling Regina's eyes boring into his skin.

“Well, if neither of you have any suggestions, I think it’d be best if your son saw a counselor Mr. Gold.”

Calder’s head snapped up at that. Counseling was the last thing he was going to put his son in. He knew how to deal with his son on his own accord without any outside help, he just wasn’t sure yet how to go about it.

“Bae’s doing fine, aren’t ya Bae?”

His son looked over at him with hardly a readable emotion. Calder stilled at that, thoughts surfacing again of how he truly didn’t know his son. It was true that both of them didn’t really talk like they used to before his mother left them, but Calder was sure he could get them through this rough patch eventually. Especially without the help of some counselor.

“Mr. Gold, this is exactly why I’m making this suggestion.”

Silence passed over the room while Calder shifted his gaze between his son and Regina. He knew Regina was right, but he wasn’t ready to admit it to anybody, let alone himself.

“Fine, if he were to _hypothetically_ see a counselor, who would he be seeing?”

“That’s up for you to decide Mr. Gold. I want him to see a counselor outside of the school’s staff.” she replied, folding her hands together under her chin.

The statement struck him as odd. First he had to let his son talk to a stranger about problems the two of them could work out in their own time, but now he’d have to find that person for his son to talk to when the school could simply provide the counselor they paid to do the job.

“Why can’t he see a counselor here, dearie?”

“Because Mr. Gold, I’m suggesting family counseling in addition to regular sessions for your son. Our school counselors don’t offer family counseling, at least not in the depth that you two need, and it’d be easier for your son to see the same counselor who’s familiar with the whole situation.”

"Why the hell would I agree to that?”

“Language Mr. Gold, we are in a school setting after all. I’m merely suggesting the idea. It’s clear by just looking that you two haven’t been on the friendliest of terms lately. You’d do anything to fix that, right?” she said with a smirk.

Calder knew that any smirk from Regina was bad news in the make, but he knew she was right in her observation. He would do anything at this point to help lead Bae back to the right path, to help him avoid making similar mistakes he had made, and help mend their relationship back together. If this counselor would help bring Baelfire and himself back to a level where they could actually talk and not scream over each other, Calder decided they could attend a few sessions. At least enough until they were able to speak normally, and after that he’d stop the sessions.

“Here,” Regina began, breaking the silence that had swept over the room, “talk to this counselor. She’s a bit bookish, not exactly my first choice of a counselor, but she helped my son and me. I think she’d be good for you two.” He watched as Regina unfolded her hands from her chin to begin writing on a slip of paper.

The action shocked Calder a bit, knowing that Regina was the last person to offer any kind of help. He had half expected her to throw them out of the office with so little of a statement of finding their own counselor as opposed to freely offering information. It was obvious she was up to something, that there was some dark intent behind her words, but he couldn't tell what. He eyed her suspiciously when she was looking up at him again.

“I better not see your son in here again once you start seeing this counselor or I’ll have him expelled, understood?” she said, sliding the piece of paper over her desk.

"Loud and clear dearie."

Calder pried the slip of paper from between her hands and the desk, folded it in half, and slipped it into his front suit pocket, never for a second taking his eyes off of Regina. His eyes narrowed slightly, unsure of what exactly her ploy was. She had nothing to gain from this, and he knew she sure as hell didn’t care about whatever happened between his son and himself.

“Come on Bae.” he said, pushing himself up out of the chair with the aid of his cane. Calder watched as his son reluctantly stood up from the seat he was sprawled out across. The pawn shop owner had never noticed his son sat like that, maybe having sessions with a counselor would help them both out.

“I hope to see some improvement for the both of you, don’t forget to call that counselor.”

“We heard you already, sheesh.” Baelfire muttered. Calder smiled at his son’s remark, pleased that at least on some twisted level the two of them could handle Regina through words.

“I can still hear you Baelfire. Control your son Mr. Gold.”

“I’ll be sure to do that dearie.” he said over his shoulder as he guided his son out of Regina’s office.

“Goodbye Mr. Gold. Shut the door on your way out.”

Calder chuckled to himself while he pulled the door behind him, and made sure to leave just enough space so the door would be left ajar in hopes it would annoy Regina in the slightest.

“Dad I don’t want to see this stupid counselor. We’re fine without someone poking their nose into where it doesn’t belong.”

The tone of his son’s voiced almost made Calder’s heart break. Baelfire and he may have been out of synch lately, but he could always tell when his son was nervous about something. Especially when his son tried to hide it through indifference.

“I don’t either Bae, but we haven’t been on the nicest of terms recently. I want to fix that.” he replied, a smile he reserved for his son only making itself present.

“Whatever.”

Calder watched as his son took off first, noticing the way he stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. This wasn’t the same boy Calder had known before his mom left. The boy walking in front of him was someone completely different that Calder wasn’t familiar with. A sigh escaped his body while thoughts of uncertainty clouded his mind. It was guaranteed that this counselor would be able to help them, Calder highly doubted anybody could help the two of them out, but he felt himself desperately clinging to the hope that they’d be able to. This was the last option Calder had at reconnecting with his son, and he’d do anything to know what his son was thinking again.

His mind wandered to the slip of paper in his pocket with the information of the counselor Regina had recommended. Anything Regina advised was always followed by terrible happenings, but if what she said was true about this counselor helping the principal and her adopted son connect, Calder couldn’t take any chances. He slipped his fingers into the front pocket on his suit, pulling out the scrap paper. Calder scanned his eyes over the scribblings, trying to figure out who exactly this counselor was.

“Belle French.” he read aloud.

_'Pretty name… Well, whoever this counselor is, she better not be a waste of time.’_


	2. Souls Still Breaking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still don't own Once Upon A Time. If I did, I'd be writing for the show and paid for it l o l

It had taken Calder a week from the meeting with Regina to actually set up an appointment to visit the counselor’s office. He had scoffed at the name, Hundred Acre Counseling Center, when it was repeated to him over the phone on his call to check out the place early in the week. It was no wonder that Calder hadn’t taken notice of the counseling center, apart from the absolutely ridiculous name; it was one of the few properties in town he didn’t own. That had to be reason enough for Regina to insist for Baelfire and himself to attend counseling. It was the only logical answer Calder could come up with, thus making it seem like Regina was playing some twisted game with him. Calder had decided to not play whatever sick game Regina was trying to force on him and deal with his son on his own terms with no outside help.

A few days had passed since the meeting with Regina, and Calder had conveniently forgotten about the appointment he had needed to make. He had been working on his latest, and probably favorite, refurbishing when the shop’s phone started to ring. The annoying sound had pulled Calder out of his focus, much to his distaste, and got him to leave his work bench with the blue paint palette set to the side. The rhythmic sound of his cane as it hit the floor calmed the pawn shop owner enough to answer the phone and not lash out like he wanted to.

“Mr. Gold’s Pawn Shop.”

“Gold, what did I tell you about taking your son to counseling?”

“Are you keeping tabs on me, dearie? I’m flattered.” Calder mentally patted himself on the back for that retort.

“Hardly. I was up at Hundred Acre’s today with Henry for a follow-up session with Miss French, and I happened to ask if you had made an appointment yet.”

At the mention of the center’s ridiculous name, Calder snickered quietly. “Can’t say I have, dearie.”

“I’m serious Gold. I’ll expel Baelfire if you go back on this deal.”

“I don’t remember agreeing to the terms of a deal.”

“Oh, but you did Mr. Gold. I distinctly remember you telling you heard me ‘loud and clear,’ now was it?”

Damn, Regina, Calder thought. He could hear the smirk in her voice through the telephone. She was right on that account, he did indirectly make a deal about taking Baelfire to counseling. The pawn shop owner cursed his past self for not paying closer attention, and it wasn’t like he could back out of this deal he struck through words instead of through paper. Baelfire’s education was at stake in this situation, and he couldn’t let that falter any more than it already had.

“Gold, are you even listening to me?”

“What was that again, dearie?”

“Ugh, I’m not repeating myself Gold. Just take your son to counseling, attend some family counseling, and I won’t have to bother you again. Is that loud and clear?”

Calder smirked at the mocking tone Regina’s voice had in it before replying, “Indeed it is Ms. Mills.”

“Good, I better not have to call you again because next time it’ll be to let you know your son’s been expelled for a week as a warning.”

“Always a pleasure to chat with you, dearie.”

“Same could be said for you Gold. Goodbye.”

The phone line clicked before Calder could respond to Regina. A heavy sigh from Calder filled the room as he set the phone back in its place. There wasn’t going to be any easy way out of this situation, he thought. This wasn’t something he could just donate money to the school to let it slide; Regina wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. He looked down at the phone and the scrap of paper, in the same place he had left it earlier in the week, with Hundred Acre’s phone number on it. The pawn shop owner moved the scrap of paper closer to him, shedding more light onto the messy handwriting, and picked the phone up again.

His fingers brushed over the phone’s keypad, nerves settling in his body. On one hand, Calder could let the issue sit and try to talk things out with his son like a normal parent would. The idea was very tempting, but Calder couldn’t take that chance. Besides, Calder knew if he didn’t call the counseling center he’d have Regina on his back again about expelling Baelfire. His son’s education was more important than his pride, even if Calder wasn’t willing to admit it out loud.

Swallowing his pride, Calder pressed the according keys that would put him through to Hundred Acre Counseling Center. “Seven, eight, six, two, three, five, five, three, four, three.” he whispered, pinching the bridge of his nose as the phone dialed.

“Hundred Acre Counseling Center, this is Ruby Lucas speaking, how may we help you today?”

The cheeriness in the receptionist’s voice made Calder cringe. Granted, this receptionist was far less perky than the last one Calder had talked with, Goldie Locksley if he remembered, but all the same annoying in his mind.

“Uhm, I was wanting to set up an appointment with Miss…” he looked down at the scrap for the name, “French, for family counseling.” The words felt like poison as they left his tongue, his pride taking a hit for turning to outside help. _‘It’s all for Bae’s sake.’_ he thought, swallowing back his pride.

“Oh, awesome! She’s a great counselor, Mr…”

“Mr. Gold.”

“Alright Mr. Gold, what day do you want to come in for an appointment?”

He looked over at the calendar next to the phone before replying. It was only Tuesday, he’d have to make an appointment soon no matter how much he wanted to put it off if he wanted to keep Regina off his back, and the sooner he did this the sooner everything could be fixed. Surely things could be solved with a few sessions and this horrible nightmare would be over, he thought before replying. “Wednesday around three.”

“Perfect! We’ll see you then Mr. Gold.”

"Quick question dearie, how much is this little...endeavor going to cost me?" Money was no setback for Calder, he had made his wealth very early on through a few shady deals, but he wanted a clear picture of what he was getting himself into money wise.

"Well Mr. Gold, our services are free to the public. We make our money through taxes and donations to keep our doors open."

So he would be paying for this in an indirect way, he thought. Better than paying upfront he supposed. "Alright, I also need to make a separate appointment just for my son."

"Sounds good Mr. Gold, I assume you want him to have Miss French be his counselor as well for his one-on-one sessions?"

"Aye."

"Alrighty, she has an opening on Friday around the same time as your family session. Would that work?"

Fridays were the days Calder stayed later in his shop working on his refurbishings, since Baelfire was usually out with friends, and it provided him with the relaxation he needed. He figured he could always drive back over to the shop while Baelfire was in his session then back to pick him up. Besides, if he didn't like this counselor he could easily switch her out for another that worked with his schedule.

"That'll be fine, dearie."

"Okay, Mr. Gold, see you and your son on Wednesday. Goodbye!"

The line clicked before Calder could reply to the receptionist. Well if that wasn’t the theme for phone conversations today, Calder wouldn’t have known better. He placed the phone back in its holder and looked over at the clock. It was getting close to four, and Baelfire should’ve been home by now. Calder figured he should close up his shop and head home to inform his son of their upcoming counseling session.

*******

The drive home was nothing out of the ordinary, minus the fact that a sense of uneasiness had settled over Calder. There was no way he’d be looking forward to that counseling session, but he figured he wouldn’t have to do much talking during the session. All he’d have to do is make sure the counselor was as good as Regina said, have Baelfire visit with her a few times, bear through a few family sessions, and everything could return to normal. Not an impossible task, but it would definitely test Calder’s patience.

He shrugged the idea off as he pulled up to the driveway of his home. The pawn shop owner could see the flicker of the television through the window, a sure sign that Baelfire was home. Calder shifted the Cadillac into park and turned the vehicle off once he was in the driveway. He reached behind his seat, grabbed his cane, and opened the door so he could step out.

Shutting the Cadillac’s door, reminding himself to press the lock button on his keyset, Calder started his walk to the front door. The rhythmic sound of his cane constantly hitting the pavement soothed Calder, making him forget momentarily about everything. Before he knew it, he was standing in front of the front door. He dug out his house key from his pants pocket, slipped it into the lock, and opened the door.

“Bae?” he called out.

“In the living room.”

Calder shut the heavy wood door behind him, quickly turning the lock back in place, and slowly walked to the living room. The sight of his son sprawled out on the sofa almost made Calder feel bad about having to let him know they were starting counseling the following day.

“Bae, what are you doing after school tomorrow?” he asked from the entry of the living room.

“Probably hanging with Hook tomorrow. Why?”

The mention of Killian’s nickname caused Calder to internally roll his eyes. “Change of plans then, we’re seeing that counselor tomorrow. I’ll pick you up after school.” Calder moved out of the entrance to the living room to the connecting kitchen. If there was any way he’d be able to get through this conversation tonight it’d be with the aid of a glass of scotch.

“I’m not going.”

Calder paused in his movement, and turned to face his son. “Well we’re going tomorrow, cancel your plans.” he said, leaning against the kitchen counter.

“I don’t see why I have to fucking go.” Baelfire sat up from the sofa, turning the television off, and turned his attention to Calder. The seriousness on his face worried Calder. Maybe it was a good thing he set up that appointment with the counselor, the pawn shop owner thought.

“Bae, language.”

“Like you have a right to say that papa, I’ve heard you use worse.”

He paused at his son’s remark, fully knowing Baelfire was true. Calder had cursed out his tenants over the phone on more than one occasion in front of his son when they asked for an extension on rents. That wasn’t the point he was trying to make to his son though. “You’re going Bae, and that’s final.”

“This is so dumb, papa. You’re only doing this because Regina’s making you and you’re scared of her.”

The comment made Calder visibly flinch. He knew his son was right; Calder was only doing this because he was afraid of Regina in a sense. There had to be a catch somewhere in the scheme, everything came with a price, especially with Regina involved. This had to be the price Calder would pay for taking Regina’s advice. If Baelfire’s education wasn’t involved as a consequence, Calder would’ve dealt with this whole situation in a completely different manner.

“You’re about to be expelled, Bae. Doesn’t that matter to you?”

“I don’t fucking care papa.”

Calder gripped the kitchen counter, a poor attempt to calm his temper down, before replying to his son. “Well I don’t care how you feel about this Bae, you’re going whether you like it or not. Your education comes first, and don’t think I forgot about what Regina said about your grades.”

“You’re a coward”

The sentence was barely audible as it slipped through his son’s lips. Calder had hoped he heard him wrong, that his son hadn’t used his biggest fear against him.

“What was that Baelfire?” Calder’s voice came out icily, the anger in his body slowly boiling every passing second.

“You’re a coward.” This time the sentence came out a little louder, albeit still quiet.

“I can’t quite hear ya dearie.” The venomous tone within his voice struck him after the words hung in the room. Yet Calder couldn’t hold himself back, even if it was his son challenging him. His son knew where his weak spots were, and if Baelfire wanted to win the argument he knew exactly where to pick at old wounds.

“I said you’re a coward. That’s the only reason you’re doing this.”

The pawn shop owner’s jaw clenched before he gritted out a reply. “Go to your room, Bae. We’re not discussing this any further tonight. You’re going and that’s it.”

“Whatever.”

His son picked himself up off of the couch and walked up the stairs toward his room. Calder’s hand tightened around the kitchen counter, his knuckles growing white from his grip. At least this time their fight hadn’t ended in a screaming match, but instead it somehow had turned out far worse than the minor yelling they had grown accustomed to.

The room felt heavier as he heard his son slam the door to his bedroom. His eyes shifted up to the cabinet next to the kitchen counter where he kept his liquor. Unclenching his hand from the counter, Calder moved his hand up to open the cabinet and pulled out a glass and bottle of scotch. As he poured himself a drink, his body began to tremble with overwhelming hurt and anger. He knew his son was upset with him for going through with counseling, but that didn’t make it alright for Baelfire to use his insecurities as a weapon.

Calder set the bottle down once his glass was full, staring down at the amber liquid in the glass. He picked the glass up, holding it in front of his eyes, and took a hard swig of the liquid. The alcohol burned more than usual as it slid down the back of his throat. Calder downed the rest of the glass before he turned his attention to the abandoned bottle of scotch on the counter. He opted to replace his empty glass with the almost full bottle of scotch, fully knowing this would be far more effective tonight than constantly pouring glass after glass.

With the bottle in hand, Calder shifted his weight into his cane and guided himself back into the living room. He took another swig of scotch as he passed over into the room near the couch. Calder could feel the anger swirling within his body, the aid of the alcohol was also a factor, as he ran his hand through his hair, and effectively spilling scotch in the process.

“Fucking shit, Goddammit.” he mumbled, his grip tightening on his cane handle.

A few tears spilled past Calder’s eyes, the sudden dampness on his cheeks surprising him. He slowly picked up his cane, and stared at the wooden stick. The sudden urge to break something, anything in his vicinity, overtook his mind. Calder flipped the cane around, so the handle was by his feet, and swung it over his head to make contact with the glass coffee table. The loud crash the handle made with the glass coffee table made Calder feel a little better, if only a little. He had never been one for dealing with his emotions internally, always opting for the physical.

He allowed himself a few more swings, fully knocking the remaining glass free from the table frame, before stepping back and ungracefully plopped himself onto the sofa.

“Papa…”

His son’s voice from the top of the stairs had startled Calder for a moment. He quickly composed himself before replying, “Go back to your room Bae.”

“But papa-”

“I said go back to your room Baelfire.” Calder shouted, keeping his eyes fixed on the broken coffee table. The sound of his son’s feet shifting on the staircase caused Calder to tense. He didn’t need his son seeing him like this, even if his son had been the catalyst that had brought this about.

Finally a sigh was heard from the top of the staircase followed by footsteps back into Baelfire’s room. Calder released a sigh of relief, taking another swig from the bottle of scotch, before leaning back into the sofa. The breaking of the glass table is probably what made Baelfire come down and check, Calder thought. Another swig of the harsh liquid found its way into his mouth. He had screwed up yet again by pushing his son away. Damn his pride, but he wasn’t going to let this go easily.

One of the very few ways to get inside his head, and his son had found it with little effort. Calder sighed, lying back onto the sofa, as he propped his bum leg up onto the sofa. He was too tired and angry to drag himself up to his room, having to walk past his son’s room on the way, to sleep off his sour mood. The bottle of scotch slipped through his hand, landing on the wood floor with a light thud. Things would be better in the morning like they always were, Calder reminded himself as he slipped into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Calder woke up with a haze clouding his mind. He rubbed at his eyes, trying to clear his mind in the slightest, so he could figure out what time it was. Before he could even attempt to read the clock above the fireplace, the clock began to chime that it was eleven.

“Guess the shop’s staying closed today.” he mumbled, screwing his eyes shut.

The endless dings from the clock made Calder’s head pulsate, reminding him of last night. He sighed before setting himself upright, the events from last night flooding back to him.

Shattered glass sat at his feet and the bottle of scotch was half in the bottle and half in a pool on the floor. Better to get up now and clean it than later, he assumed while he forced himself to stand up with the aid of his cane.

The pawn shop owner hobbled into the kitchen to look for a dustpan and some old rags. He easily found what he was looking for in the cabinets under the sink. As he pulled out the items he cursed his past self for letting his anger get the best of him. His bum leg was killing him, no thanks to sleeping on the couch or the alcohol, while he pulled himself upright.

The trek back to the living room was a bit slower this time, Calder no longer fueled by anger and instead drowsiness, but he wouldn't let that set him back. He figured it was better to clean up the broken glass and spilt booze so neither his son nor himself got hurt because of his own carelessness. It wasn’t like it was too daunting of a task either, just a lot of bending that Calder wasn’t used to with his bum leg.

After he had cleaned up the mess from his tantrum of the previous night, Calder made his way upstairs. He was still fighting off the slight hangover, head pounding with every step, but a quick shower would help sort him out. Besides, he would need a clear head for their counselor visit, and it was better to do that without prolonging his hangover. A quick shower and a nap would put him in the right state of mind for the afternoon’s task.

*******

Calder’s nerves began to tug at his mind as he waited for Baelfire outside of the school. He damned himself for taking a long nap before leaving the house because it gave him no time to stop by the shop and work on that tea set. He felt himself longing to be working on that project right there in the car, no matter how impractical it was at the moment. There was something about it that calmed him down unlike any other project he’d worked on.

Before he could dwell more on the tea set, Baelfire was walking out of the school with all the other children. Calder felt hostility forming within when he saw his son waving goodbye to Killian. That bastard of a child who probably didn’t have to go through counseling, Calder bitterly thought. He gritted his teeth, trying to hold back, instead of lashing out again last night.

“How was school, Bae?” he asked once his son opened the Cadillac’s door.

No response, nothing that Calder hadn’t expected. He was never able to pull much information out of Baelfire on the subject of school, but he used to at least get something instead of the silence he was receiving now. Calder turned his attention to the road, pulling out onto the main road.

The car ride over to Hundred Acre Counseling Center was quiet, not that Calder had expected any different. His son hadn’t even bothered with a simple hello or any attempts at conversation since he had climbed into the Cadillac. Instead of trying to make an awkward situation more awkward, something Calder had found himself becoming an expert in, the pawn shop owner thought about the things he’d need to work on the next day in his shop.

Soon they were pulling into the parking lot of the counseling center. The realization pulled Calder out of his thoughts, replacing his thoughts of future projects with what was ahead of them.

“You ready, Bae?” Calder asked, turning the car off after parking.

“Whatever.” Baelfire responded, stepping out of the car the first chance he got.

Calder slumped over the wheel before he stepped out of the car himself. This counseling session could only go one way from what Calder had noticed already. They were probably going to scare the poor woman off with their yelling, that was if Calder didn’t try to break anything in the woman’s office. He hobbled after his son, who was already halfway to the entrance, and felt his heart growing heavy with every step.

The inside of Hundred Acre Counseling Center had taken Calder aback when he followed his son in the structure. The outside of the building looked like any other building in Storybrooke, but the inside looked as if a child had designed it. Calder should've seen it coming, especially with a name like Hundred Acre. The entirety of the reception area was covered in a children's idea of what a forest looked like. Fake trees were along the walls in place of traditional support columns, and there were comical versions of forest animals within the painted walls. There was even a cartoon yellow bear eating out of a honey jar, which just added onto the ridiculousness of the whole thing in Calder's eyes.

Calder looked at his son, noticing Baelfire had the same look of bizarrement Calder was positive his own face had, and turned his head to where the receptionist was seated. Well, if it was a counseling center geared mostly toward children, the inside assured Calder in his thinking.

"Come on, Bae." he said, voice coming out barely above a whisper.

The receptionist at the desk seemed to stick out the most in the children's themed waiting area. She had her hair piled up in a wild pony tail, bright red lipstick, and a tight red dress that surely violated every dress code for when someone worked with children. Where exactly had Regina sent his son and him, Calder mulled over.

“Hi, I’m uh here for our appointment.” he said, uncertainty coating his voice as he tapped on the receptionist's desk. Calder placed his hand on Baelfire’s shoulder to help steady his nerves, and was instantly met with his son shrugging his shoulder to remove it. The action hurt Calder, already aware that his son was angry with him for forcing him to come along, but he tried to brush it off so he could save face.

“Oh, you must be Mr. Gold, and that must be your son! I’m Ruby Lucas, we talked on the phone yesterday.” The receptionist, Ruby Lucas, stood up from her desk and stuck her hand out.

Calder took the offered hand, gave it a shake, and then dropped his hand back to his side. “Aye, is Miss French in?”

“She stepped out for a second, but she’ll be back in a moment.” she said with a smile. The dark-haired woman picked up a clipboard from her desk and added, “You’ll also need to fill out some paperwork before you go in, standard procedure.”

Calder took the clipboard from the receptionist’s hands, glancing quickly over the paperwork.

“You can sit down over there with your son and bring that back up when it’s all filled out. By the time you’re done, Miss French should be in her office.”

He looked over to the area Ruby was pointing at, not even noticing that his son had left his side, and nodded. As he walked over to the tiny waiting area, his eyes glanced down at the paperwork again. The sheet seemed simple enough to fill out, not unlike anything Calder hadn’t filled out before for his own doctor’s visits. It would only take him a few moments to fill out the appropriate boxes, and then get in and out with this counseling session. Easy enough, he thought as he sat beside his son.

Within a few moments, Baelfire still not heeding Calder his attention, the paperwork as all filled out. Calder released a breath he wasn’t aware he had been holding until he signed his name at the bottom of the paper. He gave the paper once over before standing back up, and walked over to the receptionist’s desk.

“All done, Mr. Gold?” she said, turning her attention away from the computer.

“I believe so dearie.” Calder slid the clipboard over the desk, placing both his hands atop his cane.

“Alrighty, you and,” she paused, looking over the paperwork, “Baelfire, can head into her office. She should be in there by now.”

Calder nodded, and motioned for Baelfire to follow behind him. He heard his son grunt as he pushed himself up from the waiting area. The pawn shop owner stepped aside as his son pushed past him and walked into the counselor’s office. Calder felt disheartened as he walked into the office, noting Baelfire had already sat down with his feet propped up on the coffee table.

“Bae, feet.” Calder warned.

“Whatever.” His son shifted himself, slightly slumped in the chair, and scratched the back of his head.

He rolled his eyes, knowing that was the best he’d be able to get out of Baelfire, before he took a look around the office. The office was a medium sized one, roughly the size of Calder’s own home office, but had walls lined with multiple bookshelves. How anybody could read, let alone own, that many books, he wondered as he seated himself next to Baelfire. He was relieved though that the office didn't mirror the waiting room with its forest theme.

It wasn’t long after he had sat down that a door off to the side, one that Calder hadn’t paid too much attention to, opened and a petite brunette backed herself into the room. She hadn’t taken notice of Calder and his son, much to his distaste, and had focused her attention on the bookshelves in front of her.

Calder cleared his throat, making sure his and his son’s presence was known. Already a few minutes into this session, and Miss French was proving to be a nuance, Calder thought. This was probably why Regina recommended this counselor to them; she knew this particular counselor would get on the smallest of Calder's nerves. He made a mental note to get back subtly at Regina after this session.

The woman’s body jumped slightly at the sound of Calder’s grunt. He took a special pride in making the woman jump, just as he did when he frightened others in town. It was definitely one of Calder’s favorite hobbies he had outside of his refurbishings.

“Oh! You scared me, guess I should pay more attention to my surroundings.” A giggle escaped from her body, creating a sound akin to tinkling bells. Calder still couldn’t see her face, due to the woman keeping her back to them, but when he did, he’d give her a piece of his mind. He’d tell her that she was being unprofessional and how she should know when her appointments were scheduled. If she kept this up for the rest of the session, adding onto his immediate distaste already, Calder would seek out a different counselor, one that didn’t come from the recommendation of Regina.

The moment she turned to face them, Calder’s breath hitched. He hadn’t expected her to be so breath taking, and instantly dismiss his dislike of her. The way her tousled, brunette locks cascaded down and framed her face made her look like something out of a fairytale. In his lifetime, Calder had seen a lot of beautiful things, most of those being within his pawn shop, but nothing compared to the woman in front of him. Even from across the room, Calder couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the woman’s eyes. Her eyes seemed to resemble oceans, no too common, Calder thought. There was something else her eyes reminded him of, but Calder couldn't think of it.

"Dad, what are you doing?" Bae whispered.

Calder tore his eyes away from the counselor to look at his son. Though his son's face showed a lack of disinterest, Calder thought it was nice of his son to still remotely care about what happened to him. Even if they were having a rough patch, if it could even be called that, somewhere inside his son cared.

"Nothing, Bae."

His son narrowed his eyes in response, stuffed his hands into his leather jacket, and slumped further into the chair. The action worried Calder for a moment, his son used to pester him about what was bothering him before giving up, but those days were done and gone.

The pawn shop owner looked at the counselor’s eyes again, intrigued by the blue of her eyes. Her eyes were a deep sapphire, shining brilliant in the natural light provided by the windows. The closer she got toward him, the more intricate her eyes became. They resembled oceans, skies, stained glass, but all of those sounded cliché in Calder’s mind. Nothing could compare to just how beautiful her eyes were.

“You must be Mr. Gold, and you must be Baelfire.” she said, looking at both of them, when she was standing beside the loveseat. “You can call me Belle or Miss French, whatever’s more comfortable for you.”

It wasn’t until she sat down in the seat that it hit Calder what her eyes reminded him of. Those blue eyes were the same shade of blue on the tea set he’d been working on all week. Her deep, blue eyes matched the paint strokes Calder had become all too familiar with in the past week. The sapphire hue against the white of her eyes perfectly mirrored the tea set’s color palette. If Calder hadn’t already been intrigued with that tea set over the past week, he would’ve been far more invested if he had seen this woman’s eyes prior. The counselor’s eyes could’ve easily been painted by Calder’s hand if she was within an actual painting, they were that captivating.

Her eyebrows knit together, the right side of her mouth quirking slightly, indicating just how long had passed since she had last spoken. Calder’s face flushed when he realized that he was staring directly at her for such a long time, his gaze unfaltering nor hidden in the slightest, and opted to break his gaze to look at the coffee table instead. In spite of his efforts, Calder still found him staring at the counselor from the corner of his eye. There was something about her that kept demanding Calder to look at her and never take his eyes off of her.

He watched, attempting to mask his gaze this time, as she shifted herself so she was seated opposite of his son and himself. The pawn shop owner took in a deep breath, his hands tightening around his cane handle, to keep himself collected. Baelfire was here, they were supposed to be here to talk instead of scream at each other for once, and they were certainly not here so Calder could stare at a woman clearly half his age.

The attempts Calder had tried to put in place were beginning to prove difficult once the counselor had lifted one leg and crossed it over the other. His eyes wandered from the coffee table up toward her legs. It wasn’t in Calder’s nature to blatantly stare at women like they were some envious prize, but the beauty in front of him was a blatant contradiction to Calder’s normal behavior. Her legs were an expanse of pale skin, both legs melding together as she adjusted herself within the loveseat. He could have stared at those legs all day if he wished just so he could see where they ended and she began.

“So, where do we want to start?” she said with a smile, her hands folded neatly over her crossed legs.

Calder shook his head lightly, pulling himself out of the haze Belle French had unseemingly cast upon him, and directed his attention to her eyes yet again. If Calder had thought going to counseling was going to be tough already, fully knowing his stubborn nature and walls he had built around himself long ago would prove difficult, their counselor, Belle French, just made it far tougher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow, this chapter turned out a lot longer than I had intended OTL I got so carried away with the angst and Calder describing Belle l o l Once again, I want to thank Megan and Morgan again for looking at this multiple times for me and giving me suggestions. You guys are my faves, and I can’t say that enough <3 Next chapter will have some actual Calder/Belle interaction, so yay!


	3. On Display

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, I’m so sorry this took so long to get up you guys. I’ve been so busy with a lot of things recently, but here it is! Thanks again to Megan and Morgan for looking over this as I worked on it, and saw all the dumb notes I had written in before flushing out ideas. I love you guys so freaking much ; ; 
> 
> Again, I don’t own Once Upon A Time, if I did it would turn into Rumbelle 24/7

 

A few silent moments passed after the words from the counselor, and a silence had settled into the room. Miss French, or Belle, Calder wasn’t sure how he was going to address her yet, was staring right back at him. He had never been more unnerved by being in the simple presence of anyone like Miss French, and after he referred to her as Miss French in his mind it hadn’t sounded all that fitting. Calder mulled over the idea of calling her Miss French, despite his instinct telling him to refer to her as Belle instead, it was formal but it didn’t capture her as a person like her first name did. Her name, Belle, had a certain feeling to it that Calder wanted to repeat over and over so he could constantly hear it. The name Belle, on top of feeling right, also equally matched her in looks and demeanor, Calder decided. She was all around beautiful in Calder’s eyes, and he couldn’t help indulging himself, even though he knew it was wrong on every level, by ignoring everything apart from her that was in the office.

“Uhm, Mr. Gold?”

Her voice pulled Calder out of his thoughts, and back to the conversation. What had she been asking him, he thought.

“What was that, dearie?” he said. Calder internally smacked the side of his head for his reply. Already a few seconds into the conversation and he had started to screw it up with his own default personality.

“I asked where you wanted to start.” She smiled at him, seemingly unwavered by the fact that Calder had obviously zoned out earlier.

“Well you’re the counselor, dearie. Isn’t that your job to start us off?” Another quick remark that Calder regretted instantly the moment it fell out of his mouth. Normally he would never care about what words slipped through his mouth, nobody had deemed themselves worthy of a second glance from Calder Gold, but when he had spoken those words to Belle he felt a sour taste in his mouth.

“Hmmm, well why don’t we start with a ‘get-to-know-you’ activity? Does that sound okay, dearie?” she quipped, a smirk accenting the emphasis on dearie.

Calder had to hand it to the woman; she could easily handle his default nature unlike the other residents of Storybrooke. Most would’ve backed down and catered to his every demand so they could avoid the full potential of his wrath. This woman though wasn’t afraid to stand up to the beast of a man Calder knew he could be and was at his core.

“Fine by me, dearie.” He threw his own smirk in retaliation at the woman across from him as he leaned back in his chair slightly. If she wanted to provoke the beast, whatever her intentions were, he wasn’t going to make it easy. Though he wasn’t too sure if it was out of protection of himself or if he was truly a bastard at heart.

A grunt from the side of Calder, causing him to look over toward the sound, reminded him that his son was still in the room with them, which made him add, “That okay with you, Bae?”

Calder scolded himself for easily forgetting the initial reason they came here. Belle had easily gotten under his skin from the moment she turned around earlier, and combined with her accent accentuated by her giggle, on top of everything else, had Calder hooked immediately. As his thoughts drifted back to Belle, Calder again scolded himself for thinking of her in that manner. They were here for counseling only, not flirting, if Calder even wanted to acknowledge it at all, and to get Regina off of his back. Baelfire was his first concern, and this Belle French wasn’t going to distract him from that goal. Besides, Calder knew in his heart that if he tried to pursue her that she’d never be able to love someone like him. Especially if she saw him in his true nature, an angry beast who only cared about having the upper hand at all times no matter who he was up against.

“Whatever.” Baelfire replied. He sank further into his chair, if that was even possible, and looked past Belle.

Calder’s eyebrows furrowed at his son’s reaction, which caused him to look back over at Belle.

“Miss French, what I think Bae means to say is, what would these ‘activities’ you mentioned consist of?” The words slipped out of his mouth before he really knew what he was saying. Calder wanted to use her first name when talking with her, he couldn’t deny himself the pleasure of wanting to hear it fall from his lips, but formalities had caught up with him and ruined his first chance of calling her Belle. Now he’d have to wait until she gave him permission to use her first name, and he hoped she would correct him sooner rather than later. On top of that, he probably sounded like some perverted bastard asking his question in that way too, he thought.

“Dropping the, dearie, huh? It’s nothing too hard, just let me get out my balls.”

His eyes widened, skin slightly crawling, at that comment while she rummaged through the drawer. Her face was unreadable as she said this before she shifted her body in the loveseat toward the nearby end table. Was it professional of someone in her position to say something like that to clients on a first meeting, he wondered. Baelfire looked unfazed by the comment, Calder figured his son had already tuned everything out and was thinking of something else by the look on his face, or at least he hoped Baelfire had, but Calder was positive this wasn’t something a counselor should be mentioning.

“E-excuse me?” What was this woman thinking, he thought. This was supposed to be a counseling session for his son and him, not some weird sexual perversion episode. Regina was going to hear a word or two from Calder the next time he saw her, and he would make sure he’d be switching counselors for the next session. Though Calder wasn’t sure at the moment if it was more out of spite for Regina sending him here in the first place or more so for himself. Damn his infatuation with this woman to hell, he wasn’t going to let this slide by easily.

Belle’s face lit up when she had apparently found what she was looking for within the end table, and sat upright again. Her face was still unreadable, causing Calder to become even more uncomfortable as he waited for an explanation, before it broke out into a small smile. The action confused Calder further, and made him unsure of where her earlier comment was leading up to.

Her own expression turned to slight confusion, most likely after seeing his own he thought, before revealing two foam balls in her hands.

“Stress balls Mr. Gold, what did you think I meant by that?” she giggled, holding the foam balls in her hands, before she continued, “But what I had in mind, for a game of sorts, was along the lines of just telling me about yourselves, and I’ll do the same in turn. Nothing too difficult, I’m sure you’ll be able to handle it, dearie.”

There it was again, that mocking tone she had been using toward him whenever she spoke. Everytime she spoke, it felt like it was the two of them alone in the room without Baelfire sitting off to the side. With a smirk on her face, a smirk that Calder was beginning to grow weary of, she offered his son and him one of the foam balls. Calder took the foam ball from Belle’s hand, noticing that Baelfire was, surprisingly, taking the offering as well, and looked at the woman suspiciously.

“What exactly is this supposed to help with, Miss French?” he said, referring to the stress balls his son and he were now holding.

The woman didn’t miss a beat when replying, her smile returning back to one of politeness, “I find the use of stress balls help clients immensely when we’re talking. Doing something with your hands usually distracts you in a way, and makes one feel more comfortable when opening up.”

Immediately, Calder felt the room grow warm. There was certainly some kind of sexual undertone to her last statement, unless he was imagining the whole thing, he thought. If he hadn’t been sure before if this counseling session was turning into some weird sexual perversion, he was far more positive by now. Regina would definitely have a convenient spike in price the next time she visited his shop. Calder looked over at his son, who was lightly tossing the stress ball between his hands, in an attempt to regain some kind of composure over himself.

“Does that answer your question, Mr. Gold?” she prompted, a sweet smile on her face.

Calder tore his attention away from his son to face Belle, and felt his heart tightening at the image of her smile. What little composure he had regained, if any, was lost instantly in that moment.

“Yes.” Calder replied meekly.

“Okay then, who wants to start?”

Silence settled over the room. Calder’s eyes kept flitting between Baelfire and Belle, not really sure exactly where he should keep them placed. He ultimately decided to focus on Belle, despite his internal warnings of how he probably shouldn’t have chosen that as his option, and attempted to make it seem as if he were staring off to her side instead of directly at her.

The light coming from the right of the windows made her beauty stand out even more, Calder noted. Her dark hair was an almost auburn color now, slivers of red shining in the sunlight, and shifted every time she moved slightly. Calder squeezed the foam ball even tighter to keep him grounded so he wouldn’t jump, well in reality limp around, the coffee table to hold those curls between his fingers. Belle’s curls looked softer than any of the plethora of cashmere items of clothing Calder owned, not that he ever wore those items anyways, but that didn’t matter at the moment. All that was filling Calder’s mind was Belle French and her impeccable beauty, both physically and personality.

Calder regretted every bad thought he had about her the moment she walked into the office. He rarely ever misjudged people, let alone even considered giving them a second chance, but whatever dark magic Belle possessed had done its charm on him. It was something in the way she didn’t stand down from him, even if he was being a bastard in the slightest, which impressed him.

The pawn shop owner felt his face growing red when Belle suddenly put her attention onto him. Calder instantly looked toward her impressive book collection trying to be casual, but he knew it was a lame attempt. Out of the corner of his eye, a small, knowing smile was on her mouth, and Calder swallowed the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.

‘Okay, you seriously need to stop staring at her. You’re here for Bae and yourself to fix whatever gap has come between us, and not to be caught staring at counselors who are twice your junior.’

More silence settled into the room, creating a tension one could feel crawling up their own skin. Calder’s eyes shifted slowly back over toward Belle as he tried to be subtle this time in staring at her. Nerves settled in his stomach when he noticed she was biting her lip slightly, seemingly trying to figure out what she should do to break the silence that kept growing. Calder hadn’t noticed how plump her lips were earlier, and now all he could do was stare at them. Her lips were a sheer shade of pink, almost akin to that of fresh pink rose buds, and plump like full clouds on a lazy day. He wanted to feel Belle’s lips against his own to test if they actually felt like soft clouds, and touch her hair to see if he could find the coppery strands within them that stood out in the sunlight.

A sudden tightness in his pants pulled him back down to the current situation, and how inappropriate it was for him to be in this predicament at the current moment. Panic began to set in as Calder thought about ways to calm himself down. There was no way he’d want to be called out on this by either Belle, let alone his son, and have to explain what was even going on in his mind. He’d have to think of something, other than Belle, fast to calm himself down.

Calder began to rack his brain for something, anything, to help return his body back to his previous state. At this point, with the rate his body was reacting to simply thinking of close contact with Belle, almost anything would do to help. He racked his mind for something that he’d have to do later this week that was the furthest thing away from sexy. Collecting the town rent was extremely un-sexy, a step in the right direction, he thought.

He kept going down this train of thought, the pain he’d be feeling in his knee from all the walking he’d have to do on rent day, the counting of said rent money to make sure it was all there, but it wasn’t enough to calm himself down completely. Calder then thought of the possibility of running into Regina on rent collection day, as he always somehow managed to do, and that did the trick. The mere possibility of running into Regina, and hearing her gab about whatever to annoy him, was one of the absolutely un-sexiest things Calder could think of. The mere thought of it was enough for the forming tent in his pants to go down, and for him to release his death grip on the stress ball.

“You okay over there, Mr. Gold?” Belle’s voice caused Calder to jump a bit, not expecting to be called on right after he had calmed down.

“Just fine, dearie.” he replied.

She eyed him curiously; Calder assumed she already had an idea of what had just taken place, before she spoke.

“Alright, since nobody’s making a jump here then, I’ll pick who gets to talk first. Baelfire, do you want to start?”

Calder’s heart sunk a bit when she didn’t pick him to go first. ‘No Calder, you’re here for Bae first. He’s the most important thing here right now.’ he reminded himself, tightening his grip once again on the stress ball.

“Hmph.”

It’d be a lie if Calder would say he wasn’t curious as to how Belle was going to get Baelfire to open up. Short, clipped replies were usually what Calder expected to get out of him whenever they talked, well apart from when they got into screaming matches. Last night was evidence enough to that statement, and the thought of it instantly made Calder’s heart grow even heavier the moment if flashed in his mind. It was definitely a moment Calder didn’t want to think too much on than he had to.

“Let’s start with an easy question. What’s your favorite TV show?”

“I don’t know.” Baelfire replied as he shrugged his shoulders.

“Oh, I don’t believe that for a second. You have to have at least one favorite show.”

“...Game of Thrones.”

Game of Thrones, but that’s the one with all the gore and naked women, Calder thought. He wasn’t sure how his son was watching this show, or even found out about it in the first place, because Calder sure wasn’t paying for HBO, let alone any premium channels, on their cable bill. All those channels had adult themed programs that his son shouldn’t be watching at such a young age. Granted, Baelfire was sixteen, but he was still the same little kid in Calder’s eyes and he’d protect his son’s innocence for as long as he could.

It had to have been either Killian or Emma, the only two friends Calder knew of from rare conversations with Baelfire that were longer than a few words, who had let him watch the program. He’d be having a little chat sooner than he had expected with both children’s respective parents about what their children were watching the next time either showed up in his path. Calder was sure Mary Margaret would be shocked if she found out her precious daughter was watching this kind of a show without her knowledge. He smiled at the thought of breaking the news to her the next time he picked up Baelfire from school or if she showed up in his shop sooner than that.

“Game of Thrones, huh? Is that the show where one of the characters has a set of dragons?”

“Yeah.”

Calder found himself intrigued by how intent Belle was at getting Baelfire to open up about something with more than a few words. The attempts made him feel a little better about himself because he knew that whenever he did put the effort into trying to have an actual conversation with his son he got the same results.

“Is that one your favorite characters, or is there another character you like better?” she asked, crossing her leg over the other again.

“Tyrion’s my favorite.”

A few more words from Baelfire than Calder expected, but not extremely surprising. Whenever he pressed Baelfire a bit, if Calder was feeling up to it, he’d get a few more words than the average one word. Usually when that happened though, it was followed by a huge fight that left either not really talking to the other ranging anywhere from a few hours to a few days.

“Oh, what’s their part in the show?”

“Well, Tyrion’s part of the Lannister family, and is kind of like the outcast of the family. He seems like the kind of person you wouldn’t want to be around at all, but as the show goes on he becomes this really awesome guy you grow to love. Especially when he keeps trying to prove himself despite constantly being thrown off to the side by everyone he meets.” A shy smile had settled onto Baelfire’s face, Calder noticed, after he was done talking about his favorite character.

That was the most Calder had heard out of his son in, well, he couldn’t remember how long. His jaw grew slack, surprised at how genuine Baelfire sounded when he talked about this character. There were days upon days that Calder could have never dreamed of hearing this much from his son, especially about a show he didn’t want his son to watch, but here this incredible woman sitting across from him was able to easily get this information out of Baelfire. The fact that Belle, of all people within Storybrooke, was able to get this much out of his son impressed him, and Calder Gold wasn’t an easily impressed man.

The rest of the conversation grew into muffled sounds as Calder stared at Belle again. Belle was obviously very engaged with the conversation she was having with his son, and it made Calder smile a bit. She was so animated when she talked, using her hands to emphasize her points. Now that he was looking at her while she was distracted, in a sense, Calder could fully take in her appearance without getting caught.

Calder thanked whoever had designed this room to have a wall of windows off to the right because the sunlight played beautifully on Belle’s skin and hair. The natural light made the milky white skin of her legs look like the legs of an angel. It took all of his willpower, again, to not move around that table over to her so he could see if her legs were as soft as he imagined them to be. He imagined they felt as soft as a baby’s skin, velvet to the touch, and Calder was willing to bet that her thighs, which were covered by her skirt, felt the same, if not better.

His dark eyes, that he could only assume were now filling with lust, moved up from her legs to her upper body. Belle’s body was very petite, he had only seen her standing from a distance, but he assumed she was small in stature, and secretly wished she was wearing far less clothing than the button up and cardigan she had on right now. Calder cursed himself for even thinking of that, it was the most inappropriate thought he had had this entire session, and it was clearly not what he was here for. One look at his son off to the side, excitedly discussing something with Belle, was all it took for Calder to reel himself in and remember this was why they were here in the first place. It was naive, and selfish, of him to think that Belle, someone who was supposed to be helping Balefire and him, would even consider someone like himself as more than another client.

“Mr. Gold, are you still with us?” Belle asked, pulling Calder out of his thoughts.

How much time had passed since he had been staring at Belle, he wondered. It was obvious as both his son and Belle stared at him that Calder had zoned out for longer than he had intended.

“Sorry dearie, what did you say?”

“I asked if you and Baelfire watched Game of Thrones together.”

“We don’t.” he clipped.

“Hmm, well do you have a favorite show then? Maybe something you watch with Baelfire?”

“He doesn’t watch TV.” Baelfire answered for him.

His son was right, Calder hardly watched television, if at all, and if he did it was usually for the news reports. Though news reports hardly seemed like an appropriate answer to what one’s favorite television program they enjoyed to watch.

“Really now? Well then Mr. Gold, do you have a favorite hobby you like to do then?”

“Can’t say that I do, dearie.”

The truth in his words was almost painful. Calder didn’t do anything of much interest. He was a simple person who happened to enjoy having power over others. Again, not quite the answer most people would use as a response.

“I don’t believe that, you have to like doing something.” The smile on her face seemed to almost challenge Calder, almost as if she knew every front he put up was an illusion she could easily pierce through.

“He spends most of his time in his shop refurbishing old junk.”

The bitterness, even the words, in Baelfire’s voice threw Calder off guard. It was something he hadn’t expected him to say, let alone Calder was still surprised that Baelfire was talking this much.

“That’s right. Don’t you own the pawn shop in town Mr. Gold? It would make sense if you liked to refurbish old trinkets.”

“Aye, I do. I guess refurbishing is something I enjoy doing.”

“Do you want to tell me why you like it?”

Calder couldn’t help indulging himself with how interested Belle seemed to be in awaiting his reply. He wanted to bask in the attention she was throwing towards him, even if it was something as small as a question about his hobby.

“It relaxes me.” he finally answered.

“Is there anything else you like about it?”

He wanted to tell her every aspect he enjoyed about refurbishing, but only responded with, “Can’t say there’s much else, dearie.” Yet again, Calder cursed himself internally for being so stubborn with this woman. She had been nothing but nice toward him, and Baelfire, and yet here he was throwing her off to the side like he did with everybody else that made contact with him.

She eyed him curiously, as if she knew Calder was holding back information. He secretly hoped she would drop the conversation there and move on. His refurbishings was something of a private manner that he did whenever he was stressed out, mostly from arguments with Baelfire, and he didn’t want to open up about that, ever.

“Well, is there anything you want to ask me?” she asked.

Calder was grateful she had decided to switch topics, his body visibly relaxing in the chair. Though with the switch of topics, Calder wanted to instantly ask her a million questions. Most of his questions involved asking if she was single, he hadn’t seen a ring on her hand as she was talking with Baelfire, and a whole other set of questions that he had deemed unacceptable in their current situation. Calder reminded himself, again for the umpteenth time this session that they were here for help and not to flirt. The reminder that she was half his junior was enough to sink his heart and not have him blurt out his questions.

“Do you have a favorite hobby?” Baelfire asked.

“Well, I love to read and collect books. Which is obvious by the giant book collection behind us.” Belle replied with a giggle.

Baelfire’s initiative took Calder by surprise, which seemed to be happening a lot today, he noted. His son had never been one for taking interest in someone who wasn’t his own age, let alone actively talking with them. It made his growing admiration for the woman swell a bit more knowing she was able to talk this way with his son. Although, Calder doubted there were very few people Belle couldn’t charm with her all around beauty.

“Oh, it looks like our time is up for today.” Belle said.

Calder swore they had only been in this session for a few moments, that he had barely got to hear more about Belle, but he assumed he had zoned out more than he initially thought.

“It was nice getting to know both of you, and I hope we’ll get to.” she said, standing up from the loveseat.

The pawn shop owner followed in suit, dropping the stress ball into the seat behind him, and placed both of his hands atop of his cane handle. Belle then walked over to Baelfire first, again making Calder feel as if he was second best, when he knew he shouldn’t even be jealous, to say goodbye.

His son then stood up, unwillingly, and was facing Belle. Baelfire still had his hands in his leather jacket, the normal blank expression he doted, one Calder had grown accustomed to, returning to his features. Belle then put her arm around Baelfire’s shoulders, in an attempt at a hug, before he could try and squirm his way out of it. Calder chuckled lightly as his son shrugged off the counselor’s hug.

“I’m going outside.” Baelfire said, stepping away from Calder and

“He seems like a good kid.” Belle whispered as Baelfire walked out into the waiting area.

“Aye, he is.” Calder replied, his words feeling heavy as they hung in the air. He knew he was lying to some extent, knowing full well that Baelfire had been heading down the wrong path recently, but he ultimately knew his son was a good kid at heart.

Suddenly Belle was at his side, Calder didn’t even know she had moved over next to him, and looking up at him. He noted that she was petite, as he had previously thought, but more than he had thought, due to the extra height she had from her heels. His breath quickened slightly as she moved in to give him a hug as well. The difference between this hug and the one Belle had given to Baelfire was that she had leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.

Her lips felt as soft as Calder had imagined they would on his cheek. The kiss was a quick one, nothing more than a peck, and she was soon releasing him from the hug she held him in.

“I like you and your son, Mr. Gold. I hope I’ll see you again on Friday when you pick up Baelfire, and for your next family session next week.” she said once she was again standing at an appropriate distance. With a cheeky smile, Belle then turned on her heels and walked over to her desk.

Calder stood awkwardly in place, and attempted to recompose himself so he could leave. His cheek still felt warm from where her lips had previously been. Instead of being able to move, all he could do was stay rooted where he stood. He had to think of something else and get his mind off of Belle so he’d be able to leave.

“Mr. Gold, are you leaving or do I need to give you a reason to stay longer, dearie?” Belle’s voice pulled him back into the present. She was now seated at her desk, had he been standing here longer than he had previously thought, a cheeky smile on her lips again as she shifted through some paperwork.

“I was just on my way out, dearie.” He fumbled with the handle of his cane in an attempt to keep himself grounded.

“Okay, Mr. Gold. I’ll see you on Friday.” she replied, giving him a small wave before she replaced her focus on her paperwork.

The little minx, he thought. Calder gathered himself together long enough to slowly hobble out of the office, and back out into the main room where his son was hopefully still waiting in. As he exited the office, a huge breath, one he didn’t know he had been holding, released from his body.

“Papa, can we go?” Baelfire asked once Calder had stepped outside of the office.

“Sure, Bae. Do you want to stop for ice cream on the way home as a treat?”

“I’m not a child, papa. What’s wrong with you today?”

“Nothing’s wrong, Bae. I just figured it’d be nice to reward ourselves for coming here though.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Baelfire replied, shrugging his shoulders slightly.

“So Bae, do you think you’ll want to come back on Friday for your own session with Miss French?” Calder added, walking over to where his son was standing in the waiting area.

“I don’t care.” Baelfire replied as he walked out of the waiting room door.

Despite Baelfire’s initial protest, and his lack of a final decision on both matters, Calder figured his son wouldn’t at least object to the idea of stopping for ice cream once they were at the ice cream parlour. A smile crept onto Calder’s face as he followed behind his son, and feelings of excitement crept over his body as he thought about Friday. He selfishly hoped that Baelfire would be more than willing to attend the one-on-one session he was supposed to have with Belle, if only so Calder could catch a glimpse of the woman. Maybe he wouldn’t be switching counselors for these sessions like he had planned.

 


	4. Is This Wrong?

Calder leaned back from his workbench, stretching his back in the process, as he stared at the project before him. He had been working on the tea set, again, that he had started the previous week. The small, porcelain set had required more delicate work than he had intended from the beginning. Though Calder didn’t mind all that much because whenever he worked with the tea set it reminded him of Belle.

When he had picked up the chipped cup today he confirmed that the blue paint almost mirrored the color of Belle’s eyes. The blue paint didn't hold the exact quality of her eyes, but it was extremely close. Calder smiled as he ran his index finger lightly over the blue branch, his thoughts drifting to Belle.

He hadn’t caught much of a glimpse of her last Friday either time he walked Baelfire to and from the session. It had put a damper on his heart, which was quickly extinguished with how selfish Calder thought it to be. Like their first session, Calder reminded himself that they were here for Baelfire and him to figure out where they had fallen out, and not to stare at pretty counselors.

A prick from the chipped cup in his hand, as his fingers brushed over the chipped edge, brought Calder back to the present. It wasn’t right of him to get disheartened because he hadn’t seen Belle on Friday, he barely knew the woman, and she was only there to help them get through this and then they could go on their way to life before counseling. Life before Calder knew Belle even existed, let alone lived in this small town. He had no idea how he had gone about not realizing it, having lived in this town long before Baelfire was born, and having access to nearly everything and everyone in town, minus the few properties that the Mills family owned.

The idea boggled his mind; the fact that she could’ve been here for years and Calder was just now noticing her caused him to feel guilt. If they had met in any other circumstance, he was positive that he still would’ve been taken aback by her beauty. Although, he wasn’t sure if any other scenarios would’ve played out like their current one. Belle certainly wasn’t afraid of him like most of the town was, nor was he certain that she’d appreciate someone like him, who had a child that was probably old enough to be her kid brother, in a romantic sense.

Again, he pushed the idea away and told himself she was their counselor. Calder shouldn’t, couldn’t, think of her in that way. The constant mantra was going to grow tiring on Calder, he could already sense it, but if that’s what it took for him to stay sane and help mend the broken ties between Baelfire and himself, so be it.

Calder replaced the chipped cup back among the rest of the tea set, and wiped the stray paint away from his hands on an old cloth. After he set the cloth down, Calder looked over at the clock on the wall, noticing that it was close to noon now. He figured he should stop soon to have lunch, if the sudden growl that came from Calder’s stomach was an obvious indication, and could return to the tea set after a quick meal.

The pawn shop owner stood up slowly from the workbench, uncuffing his sleeves to smooth them back down over his arms, and carefully walked around said workbench to grab his cane that was resting on the side. On his way to the door, Calder grabbed his coat off the rack and hurriedly slipped it on to brave the brisk Maine afternoon.  

Normally Calder would’ve grabbed something from home to eat, but the argument he had had that morning with Baelfire caused him to forget to grab his lunch. If he had lived closer to town, and his shop, Calder would’ve gone home for lunch instead of making the trek over to Granny’s for food. This is exactly how Calder found himself standing outside Granny’s diner.

The diner fell silent when Calder pushed through the doors. It was a response he had grown accustomed to over the years, and one Calder was perfectly fine with. His cane clicked loudly as he made his way over to the counter, the patrons slowly returning to their previous conversations, so he could place his lunch order.

“What do you want today Mr. Gold?” Granny said, bitterness hinted in her tone.

Calder didn’t take it personally, another thing he had grown accustomed to over the years, and smirked at the older lady.

“Just a hamburger and coffee to-go, dearie.”

The pawn shop owner quietly seated himself in the nearest available stool, all the while feeling Granny eye him suspiciously as she placed his order, and propped his bad leg up on the elevated step of the diner’s counter. His cane rested beside him, propped up by the countertop, as he absentmindedly rubbed the knee of his elevated leg.

The diner’s rowdiness was a sound Calder had never welcomed, no matter how much he tried. He wasn’t much for loud environments in general though, always preferring his solitude where he could properly think. On few occasions would Calder actually sit inside loud places, like the diner, for extended periods of time, and that was because of his son. Granted, that was when Baelfire was younger and they were on better terms, but Calder would do nearly anything to see his son happy, even if it meant dealing with a minor headache just so he could see his son smile.

Nowadays though, those moments were sparse between his son and himself. Baelfire would prefer to hang out with his friends, namely Killian, instead of with his papa. It was something Calder didn’t like to think about, something he refused to acknowledge, the more they fought at home. This whole riff that had grown between Baelfire and him seemed to always be daunting his mind, normally he’d be able to push the thoughts away and act as if nothing was wrong, but with attending counseling sessions Calder would have to actually acknowledge what was happening. That was a thought that made Calder grow clammy and nervous, he wasn’t sure if he was capable of something like that. The last time he tried to deal with a problem like this it had put him out for a week, and that was something Calder didn’t want to have to put Baelfire through again.

“Mr. Gold, what are you doing here?” a sweet voice called out.

Strange, nobody ever acknowledged him while he was out in public unless they were begging for a few days extra for rent or if it was the only option they had, Calder thought. He turned his body, mindful of his lame leg, ready to tell off whoever wanted to confront him, to face the direction the voice had come from. If Calder hadn’t been holding onto the counter’s edge while he turned, he was sure he would’ve probably fell off of the stool. Belle was standing in front of him, a smile adorned on her face while she waited for a response.

Calder swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat, quickly trying to find his words, before replying, “Just ordering lunch to-go, Miss French.”

“Oh, you don’t need to call me Miss French here. Call me Belle.” she said as she moved toward the counter’s edge.

The sudden closeness startled Calder, causing his body to tense slightly. At least during the last session there was a table between the two of them, but now Belle was standing right next to him in his personal space.

“No Ruby today, Belle?” Granny asked.

“Nope, Dr. Hopper has her pulling some old files for him for a patient today and she couldn’t make it to lunch. I don’t even think she’ll have time for lunch today the way Dr. Hopper emphasized how important the files were.”

Calder felt stupid for not realizing that the Ruby Lucas that worked at Hundred Acre Counseling Center was the same Ruby Lucas that worked the diner on the weekends when he would come in on occasion with Baelfire. The young waitress looked far different out of the uniform she wore as opposed to her office attire, so Calder chalked it up as to why he hadn’t recognized her last week.

“What a shame, I’ll have you take back a sandwich then for her to eat later. Do you want me to make your usual a to-go today then, since Ruby’s not here to eat with you?”

“Well, that depends on what Mr. Gold here chose.”

The words that came out of Belle threw Calder off guard. Was she implying that she wanted to eat with him or was he looking too much into her words, he wondered.

“What?”

“Are you eating here or not?” Belle asked, her eyebrow quirking.

Calder cleared his throat, thrown off by Belle’s sudden questioning, “I was planning on eating in my shop.”

“Then that’s my decision, make mine to-go too, Granny.”

“Alright Belle, I’ll have that out in a few minutes then.” Granny said, leaving the counter again to place the order.

“What are you doing Miss French?” Calder asked once Granny was out of earshot.

“Belle,” she corrected, “and I was thinking if you were eating here, I’d have a companion to eat lunch with. But since you’re not, I’ll just take my lunch back with me to the center then, and eat in my office.”

This was his chance, he thought, this was the moment he could get to see Belle outside of the counseling center.

“You could always eat with me over at the shop today, Miss French.” Calder mumbled.

The instant the words left his mouth, Calder regretted it. There was no way she’d say yes, she probably had better things to do with her lunch break than eat with someone like him, and it was seriously one of the most selfish things he could do. Belle was meant to help Baelfire and him figure out their issues, not have lunch dates, if he even wanted to dare call them that, so he could spend actual time with her.

“Mr. Gold, seriously, call me Belle. We can drop the formalities when we’re not at the center.”

“O-okay, Belle.” The taste of her name on his lips felt foreign, almost like bubbling champagne, but in the most glorious of ways. Calder had only ever called her Belle in his mind, and he felt himself slowly growing addicted to the way her name sounded on his lips.

“Now what were you mumbling about?” she asked, shifting her body to face his own a little better.

“I, uh, was wondering if you wanted to eat lunch over at my shop. So you wouldn’t have to eat alone that is.”

“If I didn’t know any better, that sounds like a date to me, Mr. Gold.”

The sudden quip threw Calder off guard, which was something Belle was proving herself to be good at the more he talked with her.

“I-I, uhm, you don’t have to. I mean, is it not okay for us to spend time together outside of our sessions?”

"I’m kidding Mr. Gold.” she said with a smile and a wave of her hand before continuing, “We can have one casual lunch where we happen to be in the same vicinity, so long as nothing related to our sessions or Baelfire’s sessions come up, we should be okay.”

“Alright.” he said as his chest swelled. Calder couldn’t help but think how grateful he was for his son and the fight they had that morning, despite the underlying selfishness Calder felt, for causing him to forget his lunch. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have ended up in the diner this afternoon or happen across Belle who he’d soon be having an almost lunch date with.

“So it’s decided, I’ll just happen to be at your shop with my food and we’ll eat there for lunch then. I’m just going to go run to the bathroom quickly, and by the time I’m back our food should be done.” Belle said, brushing past Calder slightly while she made her way to the restroom.

He turned his head slightly so he could watch her leave, and couldn’t help but smile at the way her loose curls bounced as she walked. Those curls were one of the many features of Belle that Calder couldn’t force from his mind since their initial meeting. They looked so effortless and so, well, Belle as she tucked a section behind her ear before entering the lady’s room. Once she had walked out of his sight, Calder turned his attention back onto the counter. The counter wasn’t as exciting to look at like Belle was, though almost anything wasn’t nearly as exciting as Belle in Calder’s thoughts, but there wasn’t much else to do while Calder waited for his lunch and almost lunch date.

“Gold.” a woman’s voice said.

Calder turned his attention to the woman off to his side, already knowing the owner of said voice.

“Mills.” he replied. Today was one full of surprises, Calder mused, and this surprise was far more interesting than the counter he was staring at while he waited.

“You and your son still attending counseling?”

She sure doesn’t beat around the bush, Calder thought. It truly was the Mills’ style though, if he was going to be honest with himself.

“Indeed, especially since it could risk my son being expelled if we don’t.” he spat back. If there was one thing Calder was still bitter about having to attend counseling, it’d be that Regina had essentially blackmailed him into it by using his son as a wager. In spite of how Calder was surprised that counseling wasn’t as bad as he thought it’d be, mostly due to Belle being their counselor, he wasn’t about to let the details of how they wound up there go.

“How unfortunate, I’m sure the counselor isn’t making it easy either.” Regina said, her hands settling on her hips.

“Oh, Miss French is quite lovely actually. Bae’s taken a shine to her, first time he’s been so open with someone new in his life in a long time.” If there was one way to get under Regina’s skin, it’d be by telling her that whatever she had brewed had backfired.

“Hmm, what an unexpected turn of events.”

"And what is that supposed to mean Ms. Mills?” Calder asked, his eyebrow quirking.

“Nothing,” she said with a shrug, “except I was sure Miss French would annoy the hell out of you with her chipperness. She annoyed the hell out me when I took Henry there for sessions.”

“I thought you said she helped you out, dearie.”

“Oh, she did. She helped me make my way into the center so I could switch over to Dr. Hopper. I originally wanted him to be our counselor, the best at Hundred Acre’s, but he was all booked up when I asked for an appointment.”

So that was her plan, Calder thought. She had dropped Belle the moment she could get what she wanted, and pawned her off to him, not that he’d let Regina know that. Calder couldn’t deny that the action hadn’t surprised him in the least though; Regina was constantly contriving how to get her way by any means. Always living up to her nickname of The Evil Queen, he noted.

“And Miss French was a pawn so you could put your foot in the door the second a spot opened for Dr. Hopper.”

“Exactly, but it seems my hopes of her annoying you while you were obligated to be there backfired. Oh well, you win some you lose some.” Regina said with a fake pout on her lips.

“What exactly was your point of even coming over here, dearie?”

“I came by for a quick coffee and lunch date,” she said, gesturing over to the man in a nearby booth, “and couldn’t resist checking up on how you and your son are doing when I saw you sitting over here by yourself.”

“Well, you should probably return back to him before he makes a dash for the exit.”

Regina’s face steeled over, a smirk growing on Calder’s face, before she turned on her heels in a huff. Calder chuckled while The Evil Queen seated herself next to her, apparent, date, satisfied with having the final word. Finally, Calder knew why Regina had sent him to see Belle in the first place. Though it wasn’t as bad of an intention he had made it out to be, but that intent to make him miserable was still within Regina. Yet he somehow didn’t mind that she had sent him to Hundred Acre Counseling Center, and that was all to do with Belle.

While Regina may have thought Belle would annoy him, and thinking on it Calder had thought the same of Belle on their initial meeting, but in fact the opposite had happened. Calder couldn’t explain it any better than that Belle held some kind of power within her that could make almost anybody fall in love with her. Of course never he’d let her know that, he was the town monster after all, and he intended to keep that distance, especially after their somewhat lunch date.

He was falling too fast for the woman, and he couldn’t let their current positions of both being connected to Baelfire, him as a parent and Belle their counselor, contemplate things further. Besides, the last time that Calder had fallen too quickly for a woman it hadn’t turned out ideally. That was one other reason he would keep his distance after today, no matter how much Belle or his mind tempted him.

“Order’s up Mr. Gold, coffee's a little less bitter today.”

It was Calder’s turn to have his face steel over. He had grown used to the puns she would throw at him over the years regarding some part of his order, but that didn't mean he found them at all amusing. Though today’s comment had less bite behind it than the usual ones Calder was used to. He shrugged it off though, Calder figured she was just off her game today, as he took a sip from the to-go coffee cup.

When he set the drink back on the counter, Calder noticed the second to-go box next to his own. He assumed it was Belle’s, but he wasn’t sure what he should do. Should he go back to his shop on his own or wait for Belle to come back from the bathroom, he wondered. Calder had never been in a situation like this, nobody ever wanted to eat lunch willingly with the town monster, and frankly he didn’t know what he should do next.

Before he could potentially screw this situation up, Calder saw the flash of Belle’s curls exiting the lady’s restroom as she hurriedly walked back over to the counter. A smile spread over his face while he watched Belle’s curls again, a growing urge within him that made him want to run his fingers through those auburn curls, and he quickly hid his smile by taking another drink from his coffee cup.

“This wasn’t out for long, was it?” Belle asked once she was back in her original spot.

Calder pulled the coffee cup away from his lips and cleared his throat, “Just got out a minute before you came back, dearie.”

“Okay, the dearie act has to drop Mr. Gold. I have a name and I’d like to be called by it.” she said.

The pawn shop owner watched as Belle picked up her box of food, and what looked like a sandwich of some kind beside said box, and headed toward the diner’s exit. It had only been a few seconds into this conversation and he’d already ruined it with his own habits. If he wasn’t sure where he stood before all of this, Calder was sure now after her reply. He allowed his head to sink a bit, his thumb running over the white lid of the coffee cup.

“Are you coming, Mr. Gold? We can’t run into each other at your shop for lunch if you’re not there.”

Calder lifted his head to face Belle, positive his face looked akin to a startled puppy. Even after he had been unintentionally nasty to her, subconsciously protecting himself out of habit, she was still asking to eat lunch with him. This woman, despite only speaking with her once, was already impressing Calder the more he interacted with her.

“Be there in a second dea-” her eyes narrowed slightly at him before he backtracked, “Belle.”

The smile she rewarded him made Calder’s heart swell in his chest. He felt like her smiles could make him do almost anything to see them at any time. Calder would injure his bad leg all over again if it meant he could see Belle’s smile one last time, and that was already a traumatic experience in itself that Calder didn’t want to relive again. Though for one of Belle’s smiles, he felt like he could do it once again.

A cough from Belle pulled Calder out from his thoughts and back to the task at hand. He scrambled to gather up his things, balancing the box of food and coffee in one hand and the cane in the other, before he met Belle over at the door, still attempting to be careful with his bad leg as he quickly hobbled over to her, and followed after her out of the diner.

The weather hadn’t changed much since he had entered the diner, save for the light snow that was beginning to fall but wouldn’t stick, and it wasn’t as unpleasant like it was earlier. Maybe it was the fact that Belle was beside him as he walked back to the shop, lunch in tow, and that he had something to look forward to instead of another lonely lunch.

Calder couldn’t help but steal a glance over at Belle while they walked. The light snow that had gotten caught in her curls made her look like an ethereal being, and the snow crystals clinging to individual strands of copper and chocolate further highlighted the twisted strands. Her tiny frame shivered slightly in the chilly Maine breeze, and Calder wondered how she survived in winter. He wanted to wrap her in his coat so she could have more warmth than what she was wearing now as a coat.

When they were outside of his shop, the small distance filled with a comfortable silence and light snow fall when Calder wasn’t sneaking glances of Belle, Calder leaned against the wall, cane propped against the door, so he could pull out his keys.

“Mr. Gold, do you want me hold something?” Belle asked.

“Ah, no, Belle. I’ve done this plenty of times. Gotten to be a master at it.” he replied, fumbling with the key ring.

He caught her eyeing him curiously while he maneuvered the keys in his hand until he held the right one for the shop. Calder flashed a smile at her while he slipped the key into the lock and opened the door.

“I do need to clean up my workbench before we can sit down and eat.” Calder said, removing the key, making sure to grab his cane, and walked into the shop’s warmth.

“That’s fine, I’ll just take a look around your shop then. I’ve never actually been in before.”

After Belle was through the door, Calder quietly shut it behind her and left the closed sign on the door. No point in having anybody come into the shop while he was at lunch and happened to be sharing that lunch break with someone, he mused. Before he could get lost in his thoughts once again, Calder moved past Belle, who was looking at a display of jewelry, and back into the backroom.

The workbench wasn’t an ideal place to share a lunch with someone, Calder was used to it since he was usually eating for one, but it was better than sitting on the floor and his bad leg wouldn’t appreciate that afterwards. He set his to-go box down on an empty space on the table, and moved over to where he had left the tea set. The paints were easily put back into the paint box that was set on the table and back onto a nearby shelf. The tea set itself was an entirely different question. Calder had taken to leaving it out on his workbench permanently until he had finished repairing it, but now it needed a place until after lunch.

Calder’s eyes scanned for an empty space in the backroom before deciding on setting it in an empty slot on the shelves behind the workbench. The desk was still relatively cluttered, but at least both of them could eat comfortably without bumping the tea set off of the table now. Although, the back room itself was one big clutter of items, but it gave the room character, Calder thought.

A nervous smile fell onto his face as he walked back into the main shop so he could bring Belle back to eat lunch with. His eyes brightened when he saw her looking at a simple gold chain with a pearl dangling from it. Even with its simplicity, the necklace fit Belle better than any other piece Calder himself could have picked out for her. In his previous marriage, Calder would’ve brought home expensive jewelry, after he had acquired most of his money, because he simply could. Though he pushed that thought away so he could focus on the present.

“I see you’ve taken a liking to that necklace.”

His voice must have startled Belle, he thought, as she jumped a bit after the words came out. She spun to face him, her face a slight pink, and Calder was struck by her beauty yet again for the umpteenth time since had met her.

“It’s really beautiful Mr. Gold.” she said, holding the necklace up.

The way she looked at the simple chain was like the way Calder looked at her, full of amazement and awe in her eyes.

“You can have it Belle.” Calder wasn’t sure where this had come from, but he knew it felt like the right thing he should do.

“Thank you, but I can pay for it Mr. Gold. I’d feel bad if I just took this from you without something in return.” she said as she began to look through her bag.

“Think of it as an exchange for happen to running into me for lunch today.”

“I can really pay for it, it’s no problem.”

“I insist, Belle. Most people wouldn’t ever dream of eating with me, whether it was willingly or by chance.”

“Well I’m not most people, Mr. Gold.” she said while she placed the necklace around her neck.

Calder’s breath caught in his throat when the necklace was in place on Belle. The small pearl accented the expanse of skin that peeked out from her blouse, he deducted that she must have taken her coat off at some point, and the gold reflected beautifully off her pale skin.

“So, are we ready for lunch? I’m starving.” Belle asked, picking up her box off of the jewelry counter.

The pawn shop owner could only nod, still awed by Belle’s beauty, before he motioned for her to follow him into the back room. Calder held the curtain for her as she walked past, a waft of vanilla mixed with coconut drifted into his nose, had she always smelt like this, he wondered, and he followed in suit.

“You can sit down over at the workbench.” he said, pointing at the wooden furniture, “It’s not much, I usually eat by myself, but at least it’s a table.”

“It’s fine, Mr. Gold.” Belle said as she seated herself.

Cautiously, Calder walked over to the opposite side of the workbench and sat down. He hadn’t sat down too close to Belle, afraid of being too close could cause some kind of problem, especially with how he had already screwed up once, and carefully opened his box. The noise his stomach made when his eyes settled on his hamburger had alerted him to just how hungry he was. He hadn’t realized it, distracted by Belle, but he picked his hamburger up and took a huge bite out of it.

“Oh, you ordered a hamburger too!”

“Aye, I guess we both got the same thing.” This small connection, even if it was over something as tiny as a same meal, made Calder’s body grow fuzzy. He relished in the idea that they both liked hamburgers, and therefore were extremely compatible. As quickly as the idea was there though, Calder dropped it. The idea alone made him feel like a lovesick school boy, which was far below his current age, and an overall idiot.

“So, Bae, how’s his private counseling sessions going?” It was a far limb Calder was reaching out for, but he couldn’t stop himself from asking.

“Mr. Gold, I can’t divulge that information to you. It’s against patient confidentiality rules, and it was the first thing I said that we couldn’t discuss.” Belle said sternly, taking a bite of her hamburger.

“Aye, I know, but I want to know how he’s doing. He doesn’t talk much with me anymore without yelling and I’m worried about my boy.”

“I know Mr. Gold, I know. But I can’t tell you anything apart from that Baelfire is a wonderful young man. I could lose my job for telling you anything other than that, and I wouldn’t be able to help both you and Baelfire or any of my other clients if that happened.”

He knew she was right, and he knew he wasn’t in the right either in asking her those questions. It bugged him though that she couldn’t give him anything other than that, but Calder figured it was better than nothing and he’d have to be satisfied with it until Baelfire opened up on his own.

A few moments of silence passed before Belle asked, “It’s really dark in here, don’t you ever open that curtain to let in some natural light?”

“I don’t mind it.” In all honesty, Calder had grown used to the lack of outside light in the back room. It made him feel safe and comfortable in an unexplainable way.

“Well, it feels so sad in here. Can I open the curtains?”

Calder wanted to say no to her, he preferred for the curtains to stay closed so nobody could look in on him, but he knew Belle would keep pestering him until he complied. So instead of protesting, Calder nodded his head as he took another bite of his hamburger.

“Be back in a sec then.” she said, standing up from the workbench.

His eyes scanned over Belle while she got on the small step-ladder to pull back the curtains. Her skirt was longer today, and her legs covered in black tights, but still showed off her petite figure and ridiculously tall heels that made her legs look even longer. Calder smacked himself mentally as he chewed his bite of food while looking at Belle. They were here for a casual lunch date, practically just eating in the same space and nothing more, and not here for him to check her out.

“Did you nail these?” Belle asked, tugging slightly on the curtains.

“Yes.” he replied sheepishly. Calder was embarrassed a bit by the fact that he had nailed the curtains down, but he had never had the urge to open them so he figured nailing them down wouldn’t be an issue. “I can get a hammer to pry those out so it’ll be easier.” he suggested, setting his food down, as he stood up.

“No, it’s fine. I can get it.” she replied, giving a hard tug on the curtains.

The moment she had tugged on the curtains, Calder saw her faltering. Sure the step-ladder wasn’t much in height, but add that onto tall heels with the right momentum and anybody was asking for trouble. Calder rushed over as quickly as he could and barely caught Belle before she could hit the ground. His bad leg was crying out in pain from the sudden movement and added weight, but he could have cared less.

Belle sat cradled in his arms, their breaths coming out in tiny pants, and the air in the room felt like it had doubled in warmth. As Calder held Belle, ignoring the pain in his leg, he was drawn into her eyes like on their first meeting. They looked so much bigger and more blue this close up, he thought. Her lips, too, were much pinker and supple than he had expected. Neither one of them made a move, and that made Calder nervous. He wanted to lean in and kiss those soft lips, they were almost too tempting to deny, but he dismissed the thought. There was no way he could be sure that she felt anything in return and with her being their counselor it was probably out of line for either one of them to do so.

A sudden, shrill ring began to filter in through the silence. Calder furrowed his eyebrows, confused by the sudden interruption.

“Shit, that’s work calling.” Belle breathed, her eyes shutting close.

Calder took that as a sign that he should release Belle from his grasp, whatever moment that was forming between them now was gone, and could use the time she was on the phone to clear his head.

He took a step back from where he sat Belle down, and stood nearby while she pulled her phone out of her skirt’s pocket. “Hey, what’s up? ...uh huh...right now? Can’t you tell Gaston to come back later, Ruby? ...ugh, okay fine. Tell him I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.”

“Everything okay, Belle?” Calder eyed her curiously, selfishly hoping she would stay a bit longer and they could address what had just happened between them.

“What?” she started, running her fingers through her hair, “Oh, yeah everything’s fine Mr. Gold. Just an old acquaintance stopped by at the office and wants to talk to me right this second.” He watched her as she moved back over to the workbench to pack up her half eaten lunch.

“Oh…” was all he could muster up in response. Calder looked down at his feet in a lame attempt at hiding his disappointment. It wasn’t even like they were on an actual date, he chided.

“I’m sorry to rush out on you like this, but it’s not like this was an actual date.” Belle said, a sad smile on her face.

“Yeah, I guess I’ll see you on Wednesday then?”

“And Baelfire. Don’t forget to bring him along, Mr. Gold.” Belle joked, leaning in for a rushed hug.

“Right.” Calder replied, his body not moving fast enough to reciprocate Belle’s hug.

“Well, see you then, Mr. Gold.” she said with a small wave after she pulled away, and disappeared behind the curtain into the main room.

With a heavy sigh, Calder walked back over to the workbench to finish his lunch in silence to which he was accustomed. Maybe there was something growing between them, but he pushed away the thought yet again the moment it began to take root. Belle was supposed to help Baelfire and him and that was final. Any other thoughts he wanted to pursue about a relationship with Belle would have to happen when they weren’t having her in their lives as a counselor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah, I’m actually updating this. I’m so sorry for these long breaks between chapters you guys, I’ve been super busy doing adult things when I’d rather be working on this. I’m also starting school again next Monday with a full load of classes and two jobs, so updates may be even more spread out than they already are, but don’t fear! I’m still wanting to work on this story when I get free time from school/work because I love it a lot, I really want to get to the more emotional bits I have planned for later on, and I have two wonderful friends who will keep harassing me for updates on it lol Thank you so so so much to Megan and Sammy for looking this over for me when it was in-progress and finished, our little ot3/snowing family is the best ; ; <3


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